Tuesday 10 May 2022

Advice

 

We all need advice from time to time. Usually we seek advice from someone we trust, someone we love, a person whose opinion we respect and value, an individual who will consider our problem and give honest practical advice.

Some people even seek advice from the Internet. Not always the best thing to do, but I can understand their desire to do so, hiding behind some sort of anonymity. 

Other people talk over their problems with complete strangers. You'd be surprised the number of people who speak to me when on the bus and before you know it they are telling me their life's problems and seeking my opinion. 

I usually like to sit quietly on the bus eating pickled onions, or beetroot, or cucumbers from various jars I carry with me for emergencies. And yet somehow, I always attract some stranger seeking advice. Only the other day I was enjoying some chilli con carne on the bus when someone asked me for my views about the UK's economic policy towards the European Community now that we have left the EEC. I told him that olives are too expensive.

When you seek advice it is important that you value the person you seek advice from. You do not want someone who'll sympathise with you, however genuine that is, and just tell you what you want to hear. What's the use of that? You might as well seek advice from a mirror.

In Olden Days people used to go to oracles to seek advice. The oracles would look into chicken entrails and tell you what you should do. Usually they worked in groups; but sometimes there were singletons doing such work. They were called monocle. The practice of looking into chicken's entrails has now stopped because the chickens used would stop laying eggs.

I normally ask advice from people who will be interested in what I say, especially if it is not their speciality and they can take an open-minded view of my problem. For example, I would go to a lawyer and ask him for advice on how to mend a leaking faucet. It is not his speciality, but it would certainly focus his mind in giving me a practical solution.

Recently I asked my plumber about a medical problem I had. I told him I had water on the knee. He said I was not aiming straight.

This giving advice unrelated to one's profession seems to be spreading. I was at the doctor's last week and he asked me, "do you have a problem passing water?"

I replied, "I get a little dizzy when crossing a river ... !"

He told me to lie on his couch. I asked him why. He said, "I want to vacuum clean just where you're standing. The cleaner has not come in today. She is also a Counsellor at the local Home For Distressed Weasels."

So there you have it. Always seek advice before you make a decision. It does not matter whether you take the advice or not. If you take the advice and things don't work out well you can blame it on the advisor. In some cases you might also be able to sue him in Court for bad advice. True ... ask an electrician or a fishmonger ... they'll tell you. It is not their field of specialism, so they're bound to be right.

28 comments:

  1. Goodness! Victor..AND..I thought it was just me...
    I went to the doctor recently with water on the brain..
    He said l needed a little tap on the head..! :).

    Seriously though..for many a long year, l've received
    friends, mostly on a Sunday afternoon, who sit with
    me in the front room, wanting, asking for advice,
    ..(remember the beginning of the Godfather)..it
    would be either personal or business...and varying
    age groups to..from teenagers to the elderly...!
    And these 'meetings' so to speak, would last from
    one hour up to at least three..!
    And..one thing l never did is to 'tell' them what to
    do..we would talk about there problem say, look
    at it from various angles, and they would make
    there own final decision, to approach and sort the
    problem out..!
    And..besides being an extrovert, l am also a very
    'good' listener...
    Many people over the years, have suggested l write
    a book..l always say.."Neah! War and peace has already
    been done" HeHe! :O)

    And..The other thing l mentioned to my doctor..was that
    people were ignoring me..and then he shouted.."NEXT".
    ❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️

    ReplyDelete
  2. Giving advice can be so difficult, Willie. Offering support often helps.

    God bless.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think I know where the best advice comes from.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ...advise is best given when it's asked for.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is saying, something like criticism is advice that was not asked for.

      Delete
    2. Hi Tom and Sandi. Advice is a difficult subject to give advice on.

      My grandfather told me years ago, "Never ever take advice from anyone".

      So I ignored him.

      God bless.

      Delete
  5. Replies
    1. Yes, I agree too. Also with Sandi.

      My granddad was right.

      God bless, Bill.

      Delete
  6. The best line today is: ........ tell you what you want to hear. What's the use of that? You might as well seek advice from a mirror.......................
    But the plumber's advice is also good, Aim better!!

    Love from here and thanks for the smiles.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know people who don't really want advice, but they want re-assurance that what they are doing is right. It's often very difficult to advise them when they are making a mistake.

      God bless, Jack.

      Delete
  7. So true! It's taken me a long time to realize, not everyone wants to hear my (well-intended) advice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A difficult situation I also sometimes find myself in, Mevely.

      A man asked me for advice once. He wanted to know how to get to the library. It was such a long distance away I advised him not to start from here.

      God bless.

      Delete
  8. Advice from others can be helpful from time to time, but I'd rather go to God in prayer.
    Blessings, Victor!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amen. I often wish God would speak to me clearly though.

      God bless, Martha.

      Delete
  9. It was either Dear Abby or Dear Ann Landers (they were twin sisters and i get them a bit mixed up) who said that most of the people who wrote in for advice actually knew what they should do, but they wished for a different answer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, that is often the case, Mimi. People want reassurance that they are doing the right thing.

      God bless.

      Delete
  10. I think some people who ask for advice are really looking for someone to agree with them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is correct. I know such people, Happyone.

      God bless always.

      Delete
  11. I’m not sure that I knew that, Victor, thanks to you, I learned something new today. God bless you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I accidentally posted this to the wrong account. This was meant for your earlier post. I am taking a medication that fogs my brain, so please bear with me. Sorry.

      Delete
    2. I accidentally posted this to the wrong account. This was meant for your earlier post. I am taking a medication that fogs my brain, so please bear with me. Sorry.

      Delete
  12. Now, to write the proper response, good advice to talk to someone you trust. We can’t judge a stranger’s character. Would we really know they were trustworthy? Blessings to you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You make very good points here, Nells.

      Don't worry about commenting in the wrong post. No problem. I am praying that you are soon well and in good health.

      Nells, I am having difficulties accessing your Blog. The computer will not let me. It says it is not available.

      God bless you always.

      Delete
    2. Just took a look...It comes up...
      'Your Connection Is Not Private'
      What ever that means....Follow
      the instructions l suppose...! :(

      Delete
  13. Dearest Victor,
    Not being able yesterday to read any posts, on the road for service of our now 1 year old Infiniti QX50 car and trying to stay afloat with excruciating mid–back pain.
    That squirrel would be PERFECT now for a little massage...
    Looking forward to pain free days as I cannot take anything due to my CKD stage 4.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

    PS Guess that person vacuum cleaning never returned to her job as there are so many Distressed Weasels...😉

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so sorry to hear that you have been unwell, Mariette. I am praying for you right now for a quick recovery and pain free. Please take care.

      God bless you and Pieter always.

      Delete

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